Schooled [Laughing JackxReader]

12

"Why not?" Laughing Jack asked, frowning at you. Your confidence wavered a little. Who were you to tell him what to do? He could easily tear you apart if you crossed him.

You swallowed your fear, "Th-this....this school is off-limits. I don't want you anywhere near this building or any of these kids, understand?"

Laughing Jack's frown deepened. This newfound defiance didn't please him. "Or what?"

You two stared eachother down for a few moments, neither one willing to budge. "Or I'll never play with you again. Ever."

"I can make you play."

You crossed your arms and looked away. Laughing Jack ran his nails down the glass, creating an awful screech, but you refused to look at him. You weren't exactly sure what you expected to happen, but he pleasantly surprised you by caving in.

"You drive a hard bargain, lollipop." Laughing Jack grumbled, dropping his hands from the window, "Fine. I'll keep away from the school." He stepped away from the window, "See ya later, (Y/N)~"

With a snap of his fingers, Jack vanished. You slumped against your desk. You'd think you would be getting used to these crazy confrontations by now, but your heart was beating like crazy in your chest. It took everything just to look him in the eye, but somehow...you won.

For the rest of the day you found yourself constantly checking for Laughing Jack in the window and in shaded corners. The end of the day came, and it seemed he had kept his word and stayed away from the school. You headed home with a new source of confidence; The clown could be reasoned with, and you were your own bargaining chip.

You returned to the hotel and found Laughing Jack sitting on the bed, tying balloon animals. "(Y/N)~! You're home!" The clown jumped up the moment you stepped through the door. The next thing you knew you were lifted off the ground and wrapped in fabric. The sight of Laughing Jack's arms coiled around Brian's struggling body, lifted several feet in the air, flashed through your mind. However that concern was quickly replaced when you realized your face was pressed against his chest. He wasn't crushing you; he was hugging you. You weren't sure how to feel about that. Laughing Jack smelled sweet, warm smell, like a bakery.

The hug lasted a few moments, and then the clown set you back on your feet. He kept his hands on your shoulders. "I missed you! It's been soo boring. Let's play!"

You sighed and shrugged your bag off your shoulder. "I can't yet. I have to grade papers."

"But you promised." He whined, slouching so that you were at eye level. He put on the pout you were now growing accustomed to seeing.

"It won't take long-" You began to reassure him, but as soon as you took a step, a balloon animal popped under your foot. You squeaked and jumped back in surprise. Laughing Jack chuckled at your girlish reaction. You glanced behind him and took a better look at the room. The balloon animals were everywhere. There had to be at least 40 scattered about the tiny hotel room. "How many of those did you make?" You asked.

"Fifty-nine." Laughing Jack replied merrily. He pulled another long, (f/c) balloon from his pocket and blew it up with one quick blow. In a flurry of hand movements and rubbery squeaks, he formed a new balloon animal. Your favorite animal, in fact. He held it out to you, "Sixty~"

You took it from him hesitantly. "They're all very nice, Laughing Jack.....but I'm going to need you get rid of them. I can't imagine explaining sixty balloon animals to housekeeping..."

Laughing Jack sighed and snapped his fingers. All of the balloons except the one you were holding disappeared. The clown flopped down in a chair, and you sat in the one next to a small table. You placed the balloon animal to the side.

"How long's this grading thing take?" Laughing Jack grumbled, resting his face in his hands. You put your stack of papers on the table and pulled out a pen.

"Not long." You replied. The clown let out a dissatisfied groan, and an idea struck you. You fished around in your bag and produced a coloring book and a box of crayons. You set them on the table in front of Laughing Jack and he looked at you inquisitively. "You can color this in for me while I'm working. How's that sound?" You offered.

Jack blinked a few times before taking the crayons from you, accepting your peace offering. He flipped open to a simplistic drawing of a Jack in a Box and started to color.

For a while you both worked in silence. Every once in a while you glanced over at Laughing Jack, who seemed hesitant at first, but began smiling again as time passed. He gripped the crayons awkwardly in his claws and colored sloppily, but he seemed to be having a good time. Eventually he started quietly humming to himself, to the tune of pop goes the weasel. You couldn't help but smile a little. Once again, the clown reminded you of a little kid. You slipped your graded papers back into your bag, and Jack looked up.

"Alright, Laughing Jack," You said, and the clown perked up, "Let's play."